Old friend and sweet vintage pics

Happy birthday to my dear friend Sarah.  We met around age 2 when our families moved next door to each other.  What luck to have such a great friend right next door!  While my family has moved all over the place, her family is still in that house where we played as kids decades ago.

Love you, Sarah!  Happy birthday!

Now I just can't pull out vintage pics without posting a few of my mom.  I see lots of "old" elements in these pics that are totally modern and in style today!  The Polaroid has enjoyed a resurgence of its popularity, her awesome, cheek protecting glasses, her pullover, the light fixture, etc...

Gratitude - 11/16

Enumerating all the things I am grateful for could literally take a lifetime, so lets start there.  Life.  I am grateful for my life.  For the chance I have to take a whack at this big pinata that we call home.

{Such a pretty pinata!  Found at http://ruffledblog.com/Images/posts/DIY-wedding-pinata.jpg}

Isn't a pinata a fun metaphor for life?  I like it at least.  You are blind, you swing wildly while hoping for a lucky strike, and when you do make contact, awesome stuff often comes out.  And you leave it mangled... OK maybe not.  :)

Many of the things that I am most grateful for are most likely obvious.  Here are a few things I cherish that are a bit beyond my short list.

The silence in between notes of music.
The choice we have when we look at something to decide if we will find beauty in it.
Hearing your mom's voice when you open your mouth.  For good or bad :) it makes me feel connected.
The sound of my kids squeaking away at their instruments when they are first learning.
That yummy, smoky smell of fall.
Learning.  Realizing what you "knew" was incorrect and feeling your heart and mind bend to the change.
Dreaming in color.
Random memories.  Like a big icicle hanging off a corner eave at my adolescent home.
Toiling through life then taking a pause to look back and realize how guided you have really been.
Protein and the way it makes that hypoglycemic feeling go away.
The turkey sandwiches Jared makes for me when I am in a hurry.  He always tries to make it extra yummy with spices or deli mustard or something. :)
The way Will asks politely EVERY DAY if he can use my shower though I don't think I have ever said no.
Tyson's insanely soft, kissable skin.  I can see myself fighting off young ladies with a stick when they discover it one day.
The way Zach loves the shape of numbers rather than loving numbers for what they are intended to be.
Oliver's smile for every single person and the number of smiles he gets back.  Love.

OK, I'm gonna blow a gasket if I keep thinking this way!  That's enough gratitude for tonight.

Thanks for reading... :)

Not normally a fan of diaper bags...

I saw a few of these beauties at a local boutique and again saw them on Bakerella's blog.  Not only are they super pretty, but the details and quality are impeccable.  They are kinda fluffy/girlie for my taste but again, decadent and pretty to the max.  I love that they come with so many useful things too, like a fold out/removable changing pad and matching wipe container.  Not a huge fan of their name though: Petunia Picklebottom.  Wha???

An Attitude of Gratitude

I was so happy to see this new video for the way it helped me think about some everyday things that I don't always "see" but that I am deeply thankful for.



Over the next days until Thanksgiving day, I want to dedicate several posts to some of the things I am the most grateful for.  I think this can be an opportunity for me to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

Bakerella!

Bakerella is a super/awesome/cake-pop-babe.  And I loved getting to meet her with a few of my favorite gals, Renee and Sarah!  I wonder if I will ever actually make cakepops...  I think a scenario of Sarah or Renee making them and me consuming them is a much more viable probability.

I think I have super cute friends. :)

Rainbow Bookshelf

I saw that Design Mom has an organized-by-color shelf and I loved it so I gave it a try.  I am not a designer AT ALL but I am enjoying the results nonetheless!

My eldest says it looks the same as before.  Time to check for color blindness!!

I Can't Stop Smiling

This little man Oliver is one smiley kid.  He seriously brightens the day of everyone he sees with a big, gummy, whole face grin.  (please excuse the horrible quality of these cell phone pics!)

Flea Market Find

I can't believe I forgot to post a pic of what I found at the flea market I went to when my lil' sis was here.  I am so glad I didn't die when I saw these because, ya know.  That's possible.

I just happened to have a bunch of bottles of my two favorite carbonated beverages on hand, so you get the full effect of these vintage soda crates.  What are the beverages you ask??  You shall receive.

Izze!  Sparkling fruit juice.  Soooooo good!  Clementine, blackberry and grapefruit.

Boylan Root Beer.  Wow.  Intensely good, especially with Breyers vanilla ice cream.  AND its not sweetened with the high fructose junk.  Its natural cane sugar.  Feel good about it, come on!

I am thirsty now!

Art Lesson

I have been a fan for some time now of J. Kirk Richard's artwork.  So when I heard that he was offering a few workshops in town, I had to participate!

One huge problem.  I am really, super horrible at art.  Like awful.  But I LOVE it and I am a huge appreciator of it!  I have even been a member of the Frist!  I hoped my love for art would make up for my woeful lack of ability.

Well... it didn't.  But I tried and I loved {almost} every second of my first actual art class ever.  Here is the place where we set up to paint:

Beautiful spot, huh!  I love Tennessee :)

First off, being a non-artist, I was not sure what to do about an easel.  I know they are kind of expensive and I couldn't justify the cost.  I knew Kirk might bring one but wasn't sure, so I brought the only thing I could think of that I had on hand.  A music stand.

See me in the back there?  Turns out he did have easels but not enough so it was a good thing I brought my stand!  I had to rig it up with clothes pins and I had to hold it still with my foot while I painted.  :)

People, I tried my hardest.  I really did.  But at the end, my stomach was all in knots, not sure if I should just revel in the fun of what I had just done or if I should run and never show my face again!  I did pack up rather quickly...

I thought about posting my final product but I don't want anyone to feel like they have to compliment it to make me feel better about it.  Just imagine some leafy colors and a red rectangle.

Here is the lesson I learned: I love paintings!  I don't love painting!